OPPO BDP-103 (NON Darby)

wow, we are going off on a tangent! lol.  I would like to say that I am totally NOT a tube preamp expert.  That being said, in the choices that naimfan has suggested, I would probably lean towards the AR LS-2 because of it's balanced outputs (though it is not fully balanced/differential internally).  The newer CJ PV14L looks to have a much better power supply and circuit layout of the three different preamps.

That being said, if I was in the market for a tube preamp, I would really look at the Balanced Audio Technology (BAT) stuff, as it has fully balanced/differential circuits (like the Krell KAV-280p and every other preamp I have suggested).  There's a BAT VK-3i for $999.  But I would probably be trying to push my budget to the BAT VK-31se for $1800.  It has a much beefier power supply section, which translates into stronger bass/midbass punch. It also has both a remote and a phono stage (you mentioned an interest in a turntable).  I would then look at trying different tubes to try to get the most resolution I could out of it. 

Personally, I would probably still go after the Krell KAV-280p from Canada and deal with the remote problem.  It is entirely possible that it just needs a new battery.  You had an interest in the AR LS-2, which is full manual control without any sort of remote, so it may not be a big deal.

My cousin has a Jolida tube CD player that we have modded the heck out of (black gate capacitors, upgraded diodes, internal silver wiring, Furutech RCA connectors, Electro-Harmonix tubes).  It does sound very nice, but it does not quite have the resolution of the Oppo 105 (which has an edge on excitement and snap).  In my opinion, the Oppo 105 is lacking in resolution with what I am currently used to.  We have found that the Electro-Harmonix tube has very good resolution.  Some others have mentioned the Genelex tube being very good as well.

There are many people who love tube based stuff.  It is definitely a personal preference.  If you have listened to tube preamps and love them, by all means go after what you love!

I didn't originally put forth the idea of the STP-SE because of the price and I was thinking of your inherent budget.  However, the STP-SE has a lot of great point.  Fully differential, massive power supply.  It looks fully discrete as well (but I can't completely confirm).  The STP-SE appears to have a very fast response (high resolution), but also is able to keep a lot of "tone" characteristics.  I would probably say I would highly consider this particular preamp.  Between the Krell KAV-280p and this Wyred4Sound STP-SE, I'm not sure which one of these would actually be better.  I'm definitely going to be reading up more on this STP-ES preamp, just out of curiousity.

Heh, just read your posts. I did some additional research on the STP-SE. It’s amazing that people will have many opinions on "what is the best preamp". Most people don’t understand that system synergy is critical and a particular preamp may shine in one system and sound poor in another.

Repeated comments on the STP-SE say that it is very transparent and act much like a passive pre. However, it also has the beefy power supply and gain circuit that is able to "push" difficult bass/midbass waveforms into the amp. This means you have a highly transparent and fast/dynamic preamp. The key word here is "transparent". The Krell, on the other hand, has 2 Class A circuits (input and output) that the audio signal will travel through. The Class A circuit will definitely color the sound somewhat, but the Krell implementation is still very fast and dynamic.

Your Marantz is going to have a warm/rich sound. The Emotiva Gen 3 uses the XPR amp board which is on the smooth/refined side of sonic signature (though I don’t know how it will sound with the Gen 3 switching power supply). But it’s nowhere near the smooth/slow/lush of a tube amp. (still definitely strong solid state).

The STP-SE will probably reveal the full resolution of your Marantz. On the other hand, the Krell will have a little color to the sound (could be translated into fully midrange body and bass/midbass). Since the Marantz warmth may be similar to a Class A circuit, it may be pushing too many Class A steps in the audio path for my own personal preference. However, I believe the Krell is going to be significantly better than the Emotiva in resolution, dynamics, excitement and clarity anyways.

I guess it depends on what you want, and it may be impossible to know without trying. Based on what I have read, I would say that the STP-SE definitely has an edge over the Krell on speed and transparency. But like you said, it is $900 more. Wyred 4 Sound does have a 14-day trial program. The end-cost is shipping plus 5% ($100 in the STP-SE) if you return it without purchasing.